The Golden Horse Film Festival – and its counterpart, the Golden Horse Awards Ceremony, has always been a highlight for any devotee of Chinese language cinema. During one year or another, some of the biggest luminaries found their start or were pushed to further prominence, thanks to the recognition received here. Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Wong Kar-wai, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-Liang, and the list of names goes on.
The festival takes place for the better part of November in the capital city of Taipei. The Taiwanese government, along with its organisers, pulls out all the stops to make it the locus of all things Chinese cinema including organizing conventions for project pitching as well as further opportunities for filmmakers to secure investments and grants.
While most of the excitement during Golden Horse Awards night takes place onstage – and live on television screens worldwide; what’s not seen is the rush of adrenaline and action happening backstage as presenters get ready, award winners mingle, and the hundreds of people running around to make it all go as efficiently as possible. Here are pictures from behind the scenes you missed:
Featured image: Wu Kang-ren takes a selfie with Ang Lee.
All pictures provided courtesy of 圖為金馬執委會提供 The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee